The A.V. Club's Scores

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For 4,544 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 64% higher than the average critic
  • 2% same as the average critic
  • 34% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.5 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 74
Highest review score: 100 The Life Of Pablo
Lowest review score: 0 Graffiti
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,663 out of 4544
  2. Mixed: 771 out of 4544
  3. Negative: 110 out of 4544
4544 music reviews
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    • 84 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Rebound
    Rebound sees bits of the Fiery Furnaces sound creeping back in. There aren’t any backwards-mixed vocals or abrupt key changes, but synths and programmed drums return to augment a batch of songs somewhat less rooted in concrete storytelling details.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Beyondless
    The group hasn’t abandoned its post-punk, just refined it.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Singularity
    There’s no prescribed narrative, but Singularity still tells a grand story--a synesthetic evocation of how it feels to be alive.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Dirty Computer
    There is a concept here, but it is Janelle Monáe; there is a story here, but it is Janelle Monáe’s. And she’s outdone herself in both the execution of this vision and its resonance.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Twerp Verse
    With few absolute standouts, it’s a consistent, engaging listen full of little surprises and ongoing discoveries.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    In the Rainbow Rain
    The songs here are among Okkervil’s lushest productions, adorned with choruses and horns and washes of sunny guitar, paired well with whatever subject Sheff happens to be tackling. Even when he gets too sappy, there’s always those stellar arrangements to serve as a saving grace.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Grid of Points
    Grid’s abbreviated runtime (seven tracks in just over 20 minutes) doesn’t give you much time to linger in it, and some melodies simply prove too gossamer to grab on to. Harris’ lyrics, as ever, are more sensed than received. Yet it’s another uniquely immersive, meditative experience, however briefly it lasts.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Everything's Fine
    It’s a sprawling and intentionally distancing record, but never less than fascinating.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Pinkus Abortion Technician
    Melvins frontman Buzz Osborne says in the album announcement that Pinkus Abortion Technician was “a stone groove to record,” a statement that accurately describes both its heavy-psych sound and “jamming in the garage” vibe.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Resistance Is Futile
    Resistance Is Futile, the band’s thirteenth studio album, distills the Manics’ pomp and melancholy into buoyant pop songs with biting electric guitars, sugary synths, and majestic strings.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Pinned
    When the low end is there--as on “Act Your Age” and “Attitude”--Pinned sounds more immediate. Those moments are great, but not as frequent as fans may like.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Persona
    Persona is uneasy listening, with heavier rhythms and more fragmented melodies than West deployed on previous works like Howl and Night Melody, yet it’s equally engrossing. It leaves a deep psychic impression--a truly “arthouse” album that begs repeated revisiting, to explore its many conflicting faces.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Invasion of Privacy
    Cardi B got here by rapping her face off, and on Invasion Of Privacy, she determines to stay here by doing it for--well, nine more tracks. So far, so good.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation
    Moosebumps won’t replace anyone’s copy of Dr. Octagonecologyst, but it’s a worthy addendum to the story.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Sex & Food
    Although Sex & Food’s heavy-lidded moments can occasionally meander too far afield into somnolence, the record’s sharp observations about life, politics, and society are focused.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Isolation
    As she breaks down the triumphs and heartbreaks of real life, she deftly invokes her every musical whim--from 1970s soul to hip-hop beats that wouldn’t be out of place on a ’90s dance floor--to stunning effect.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Bark Your Head Off, Dog
    There’s still experimentation here, with the band incorporating strings, harmonies, and even a verse of whistling (“How You Got Your Limp”), but the songs occasionally lack punch. Still, there are multiple high points to this likable album.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    The Deconstruction
    E saves The Deconstruction from formula by turning his inner turmoil outward.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs
    While some of the headier experiments fail to rise above their inherent monotony, the results are usually singularly beautiful and beautifully dense.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Czarface Meets Metal Face
    The late-album highlight “Captain Brunch” is a little weirder and more characterful, a hint at what a bolder, tighter collaboration between all these immensely talented artists could sound like. The rest is fine, but for fans only.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Vessel
    Some of her ditties don’t even top a minute, as in the appealing piano plinks of “Ur Up,” and some of her rhyme schemes can get a bit laborious.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Combat Sports
    Keyboards add a shimmering underbelly to the Britpop throwback “Your Love Is My Favourite Band”--but Combat Sports possesses a loose vibe that’s much more welcoming.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Hormone Lemonade
    Whenever Gane brings in his laidback-funk guitar (“Phase Modulation Shuffle,” “Automatic Morning”), it instantly evokes Stereolab’s space-age bachelor-pad music, and suffers in the absence of Laetitia Sadier’s coos. Still, there’s enough variety here--the sparkling Terry Riley-esque cascades of “Solarised Sound” and “Phantom Melodies”; the analog Aphex Twin-isms of “Outerzone Jazs” and “Feed Me Magnetic Rain”--to make this a worthwhile spin through such thoroughly explored territory.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    New Material
    New Material is sure to divide fans down the middle, leaving them questioning Preoccupations’ intent as, for perhaps the first time, the band is more keen on playing things close to the chest.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Twentytwo in Blue
    It may be derivative, but it’s never weak: SunflowerBean has channeled the most appealing elements of those past decades’ pop music and retained a sprightly, affectionate touch.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Space Gun
    It’s the the musical equivalent of eggs and toast at your favorite diner, perhaps not the group’s most distinctive release, but warm and nourishing nonetheless.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Boarding House Reach
    Boarding House Reach holds together as a complete piece. The songs complement each other, speaking to the restlessness and reluctance of an artist who’s spent the last decade or so successfully transforming himself into a brand.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    World Beyond
    World Beyond works better as an homage than an inspired reimagining of the politically charged album, which is flattering for Bell and Clarke, but ultimately keeps this release from feeling like a vital contribution.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    I'll Be Your Girl
    I’ll Be Your Girl is a welcome sign of a veteran band eager to experiment, but it’s also the first Decemberists album where the sounds are more interesting than the songs.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    Jericho Sirens
    It all works. Whenever Hot Snakes decide to get together, they will always be welcome.
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